Attracting talent is no longer only about salary or career development. More and more, employees expect flexibility, choice and benefits that fit their lives. Mobility plays a critical part in that experience.
Many mobility policies still assume that employees commute to the same office in the same way every day. However, that no longer reflects how everyone works and travels.
In the Netherlands, 61% of employees had the option to work remotely in 2025. In Belgium, commuting patterns also differ. For instance, 65% of commuters mainly travelled by car in 2023, while 17% used their bike, and 15% used public transport.
Over time, a mobility policy can quietly affect talent attraction when it limits choice. The same applies if it's difficult to understand or no longer reflects how employees live and work. In this short article, we look at five signs that may be weakening the overall employee experience.
#1 Your mobility package only works for one type of employee #
A one-size-fits-all mobility policy offers less value because it assumes that everyone commutes in the same way.
Consider a company car. It may be valuable to someone living outside the city with limited access to public transport. An employee living in central Antwerp or Amsterdam may prefer to bike, while a hybrid employee may commute only twice per week. Providing a fixed package to employees with such diverse situations will not provide the same value to everyone.
Naturally, company cars do remain an attractive benefit for many employees. However, the problem is presenting the car as the default answer with only a few alternatives to choose from.
The key takeaway: A flexible mobility policy doesn't need to offer everything, but it needs to provide meaningful choices for a workforce with different commuting habits and lifestyles.
#2 Employees don't understand what they qualify for #
A generous mobility policy loses its value when employees cannot easily understand or access it. Some signs include:
- Complicated policy documents
- Unclear eligibility and budget rules
- Multiple systems that are difficult to navigate
- Employees need HR to explain the benefits
Having trouble understanding mobility policies creates a gap between what the company offers and what employees experience. Employees should have easy access to mobility benefits. It shouldn't require several emails back and forth, separate logins or long instructions. If so, they may choose the most familiar option, or not use the benefit at all.
Job candidates can potentially experience the same uncertainty. During an interview, they may learn that a flexible mobility package is available. But if they cannot easily see what it means in practice, the benefit carries little weight.
Employees expect corporate mobility to be as easy as Netflix. They expect the workplace benefits to provide the same clarity and ease of use as other digital services. Employees should be able to quickly view what they qualify for, compare options or understand what to do next.
In short, a mobility benefit becomes much more valuable when it's easy to understand and to use.
#3 Your policy hasn't changed, but employee expectations have #
We've discussed it many times: mobility is changing quickly. Hybrid work reduces the need for daily commutes, while electric vehicles, cycling, and shared mobility expand options.
Despite this shift, some mobility policies are only reviewed every few years. That means they may still assume five weekly office days, fixed car categories or limited alternatives.
As a result, this can create a disconnect between the policy and the people it should support. For example, an employee who works primarily from home may value mobility differently from someone travelling between locations. Employee expectations are another factor to consider. They can change as people move, start a family or take on a different role.
The key is to review your policies regularly to ensure they still reflect how employees work and commute.
#4 Employees have options, but not meaningful choice #
The distinction between "We offer a mobility policy" and "We offer mobility options that fit you" is crucial.
A company may offer a company car, public transport, a bike, shared mobility or flexible combinations. This is already a good starting point. In Belgium, the official mobility budget also lets eligible employees split their budget across categories. These include an environmentally friendly company car, sustainable transport and certain housing costs.
That definitely doesn't mean that companies need to offer every possible benefit. Too many separate choices can make the employee experience more complicated than flexible. As such, the goal is to offer employees a relevant selection that reflects where they live and how they travel.
Offering more choice can also increase the perceived value of a mobility budget. Employees can use it in ways that better match their needs. At the same time, it gives them greater control without the company having to increase the total budget.
The key takeaway: A flexible mobility policy must offer the right options, not necessarily the most options.
#5 HR can't easily see what employees actually want #
An employee-focused mobility policy requires insight into how people actually use it. In such case, HR must be able to understand which mobility options employees choose. They should have access to view budget spending and underused benefits.
What's more, it can also help to see how employee needs vary by office, role, or commuting location.
In reality, most of that information spans across leasing providers, public transport platforms, expense tools, and spreadsheets. Without a central dashboard, HR has to update policies based on assumptions, one-on-one feedback, or incomplete reports.
Bringing mobility data together makes it easier to identify and analyse patterns:
- If few employees use a specific benefit, is it irrelevant or simply difficult to access?
- Which options are most popular across different locations or employee groups?
- Are mobility budgets being used fully and in ways that reflect how employees actually travel?
- If employees repeatedly ask for the same alternative, is there a gap in the current policy?
Consolidated data also helps move from mobility administration to proactive mobility management.
The key is this: you can't design a people-focused mobility policy if you don't understand how people use mobility.
Is your mobility policy helping you attract talent? #
If you recognise these five signs, your mobility policy may be holding back talent attraction without you realising it.
Employees increasingly expect flexibility, choice and benefits that fit their lives. When companies build policies around fixed assumptions and unclear rules, that can affect the overall employment offer. It may feel less relevant, even when the company invests heavily in mobility.
The best mobility policy gives employees relevant choices and is easy to understand and use. That means recognising different commuting needs, reviewing the policy regularly, and using mobility data to understand what employees actually value.
When companies get this right, mobility supports the complete employee journey. It helps attract candidates, improve the day-to-day employee experience and contribute to retention over time. Suddenly, mobility becomes more than a fleet or administrative policy.
Muto helps companies centralise mobility data, manage policies and understand how employees use their mobility benefits. This provides HR with the insight needed to build a mobility policy around real behaviour rather than assumptions.
Is your mobility policy keeping up with your employees? Discover how Muto can help you manage your mobility policy and create a more relevant employee experience.
